April 27, 2026
World
World
WASHINGTON, April 27 — A man accused of targeting US administration officials at a Washington event has been arrested after allegedly opening fire, injuring a Secret Service agent.
PARIS, July 12 — A French investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X intensified yesterday as the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that police have been tasked with probing alleged algorithm manipulation and fraudulent data extraction involving the company or its top executives.
The move escalates scrutiny on Musk, a former ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has accused European governments of suppressing free speech and has openly supported several far-right parties across the continent.
As part of the investigation, French police may carry out searches, wiretaps, or surveillance on Musk and X executives, or summon them for questioning. Failure to comply could result in a judge issuing international arrest warrants.
X has yet to respond to a request for comment. According to a statement by Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the investigation began in January following complaints from a lawmaker and a senior French official, who alleged foreign interference linked to the platform.
On July 9, based on preliminary findings from researchers and French public bodies, prosecutors directed police to investigate X “both as a legal entity and through individuals.”
The suspected offences include “organised interference with the operation of an automated data processing system” and “organised fraudulent extraction of data from such a system.”
This latest probe into a major tech figure further highlights growing tensions between the U.S. and Europe over digital platform governance and online speech.
It follows the case of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is currently under judicial supervision in France after being arrested last year and formally investigated for alleged organised criminal activity via the app — charges he denies. Musk previously criticised Durov’s arrest, fuelling an ongoing debate around free expression.
Musk has frequently used X to promote right-wing causes and political parties in France, Germany, and the UK. Though once closely aligned with Trump, he recently broke ranks over the federal budget and is now in the process of launching his own political party. — Reuters
